US2807496A - Motor vehicle wheelhouse construction - Google Patents

Motor vehicle wheelhouse construction Download PDF

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Publication number
US2807496A
US2807496A US510959A US51095955A US2807496A US 2807496 A US2807496 A US 2807496A US 510959 A US510959 A US 510959A US 51095955 A US51095955 A US 51095955A US 2807496 A US2807496 A US 2807496A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
wheelhouse
boot
clearance
wheel
vehicle
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US510959A
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English (en)
Inventor
John R Hollowell
Avery W Morris
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Ford Motor Co
Original Assignee
Ford Motor Co
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Ford Motor Co filed Critical Ford Motor Co
Priority to US510959A priority Critical patent/US2807496A/en
Priority to FR1149896D priority patent/FR1149896A/fr
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US2807496A publication Critical patent/US2807496A/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60J—WINDOWS, WINDSCREENS, NON-FIXED ROOFS, DOORS, OR SIMILAR DEVICES FOR VEHICLES; REMOVABLE EXTERNAL PROTECTIVE COVERINGS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES
    • B60J7/00—Non-fixed roofs; Roofs with movable panels, e.g. rotary sunroofs
    • B60J7/20—Vehicle storage compartments for roof parts or for collapsible flexible tops
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
    • B62D—MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS
    • B62D25/00—Superstructure or monocoque structure sub-units; Parts or details thereof not otherwise provided for
    • B62D25/08—Front or rear portions
    • B62D25/16—Mud-guards or wings; Wheel cover panels

Definitions

  • the Wheelhouse must provide clearance for tire chains, and this clearance must be added to the Wheel jounce clearance. It is an object of the present invention to provide ra body construction in which additional space is available in the rear storage compartment for vehicle components, yet -in which adequate clearance is available in the Wheelhouse when ⁇ required by extreme Wheel jounce and the use of tire chains.k
  • the foregoing object is accomplished by providing an opening in the Wheelhouse in the zone of possible interference with vehicle components such as a retractable top or convertible top linkage.
  • This opening is covered by a flexible rubber boot, suitably attached to the Wheelhouse adjacent the marginal edges of the opening.
  • the flexibility of the boot permits it to be deformed downwardly to provide ⁇ additional clearance above the Wheelhouse for the interfering vehicle components.
  • the projection of the boot into the Wheelhouse at this time is not objectionable since tire chains would not normally be used when thejretractable or convertible top of the vehicle is lowered.
  • the top would be raised and the ilexible rubber boot could be deformed upwardly to provide the necessary clearance in the Wheelhouse.
  • a further object of the invention is to provide a boot of the type discussed above in which the central portion of the boot may be snapped from a concave position on one side of the plane of the Wheelhouse opening to a similar position on the opposite side thereof, the movement across the center plane being initiated by Ithe engagement of the boot by either the vehicle top components or by the tire chains, as the case may be.
  • Still another object of the invention is to provide a vehicle body construction permitting the height of the rear storage compartment to be lowered without detracting from the available critical space Within the compartment for vehicle top components. This is accomplished by a construction enabling space adjacent the Wheelhouse to be alternately used for wheel and chain clearance and for clearance for the top components. Thus, a portion of the Wheelhouse has a dual purpose.
  • Figure 1 is a side elevational View of a motor vehicle body, partly broken away to illustrate the present invention.
  • Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical transverse cross sec-V tional view taken on theplane indicated on the line 2 2 of Figure 1.
  • Figure 3 is an elevational view of the Wheelhouse shown in Figure 2 looking in the direction of the flexible boot, and partly broken away and in section.
  • Figure 4 is a fragmentary plan view of a portion of Vehicle body,fpartly broken away to show the present invention.
  • the reference character 11 indicates generally a motor vehicle body, in this instance shoWn as being of the retractable hardtop type such as disclosed in the copending application of J. R. Hollowell, B. I. Smith, and R. T. Butler, for Vehicle Body Construction, filed September 20, 1954, under Serial No. 456,994, and having a common assignee with the present application.
  • the body 11 has a roof 12 the forward portion 13 of which is adapted to be folded back to enable the roof to be bodily moved into the storage ⁇ compartment 14 provided beneath the rear deck lid 16.
  • rIlhe wheelhouse 19 is conventionally formed of an outer sheet metal section 2,1 and ⁇ an inner sheet metal section 22 having their juxtaposed flanges suitably welded together to form a unit.
  • the Wheelhouse is shaped generally as lan inverted U, and sufficient clearance is provided between the upper portion of the Wheelhouse and the rear wheel 19 to accommodate wheel movement and also tire chains.
  • the normal position ofthe rear Wheel 19 is shown in ⁇ Figure 2 in full lines with the dotted line position 19 indicating the position of the Wheel during full jounce, or maximum upward movement of the Wheel relative to the vehicle body.
  • the Wheelhouse In addition to providing ⁇ suiiicient clearance for full Wheel jounce, the Wheelhouse must provide clearance for tire chains which may be fitted to the tire during winter conditions. These clearances are cumulative since it is possible that full jounce conditions might be encountered when tire chains are in use.
  • the dotted line 23 indicates the normal contour of the upper portion of the Wheelhouse 18 designed to provide the proper clearance for wheel jounce and tire chains.
  • An elongated opening 24 is formed in the uper portion of the inner Wheelhouse section 22 adjacent the Zone of interference With the roof section 13. While this opening.
  • the boot 26 is preferably molded and has a thickened peripheral portion 27 bifurcated to form inner and outery marginal flanges 28 and 29 respectively.
  • the ange 28 iswider than the ilange 29, and the flanges are spaced to forma peripheral groove 31 therebetween.
  • the boot 26 is assembled to the Wheelhouse by engaging the peripheral groove 31 with the marginal portions of the Wheelhouse adjacent the opening 24, so that the Wide inner ange 28 of the boot engages the inner side of the Wheelhouse and the narrow outer ange 29 engages the outer side thereof.
  • a series of large headed rivets 32 are spaced at close intervals around the periphery of the boot and extend through the Wide flange 28 and ⁇ the adjacent portion of the Wheelhouse to securethe boot thereto.
  • the rubber boot 26 may be formed in several ways For example, it may have a central flat portion extending across the opening 24 inthe Wheelhouse, or, as
  • FIG 2 it may be of concave dished shape ⁇ so as to be located on one side of the central plane 34 vof the covered opening 24.
  • the ⁇ flexible ⁇ rubber boot 26 may be readily deformed upwardly to accommodate the tire chains.V While these extreme conditions only occur occasionally, as for example during Winter chain operation over extremely rough roads or in cornering, nevertheless provision must be made for such conditions.
  • the boot 26 may be formed in such manner that the central portion 33 thereof is adapted to snap from the downwardly dished position shown in Figure 2 below the plane 34 of the Wheelhouse opening to an upwardly dished position generally lalong the dotted lines 23.
  • engagement of the central portion of the boot by the section 13 of the roof will snap the boot to the downward position where it will remain until returned to its upper position by engagement of the boot by the tire chain. This arrangement eliminates Wear which might result from repeated engagement between the boot and the tire chains.
  • the invention is also applicable to vehicles of the convertible type in which clearance for the top linkage is often at a premium.
  • a vehicle body having a rea-r storage compartment located intermediate the rear road Wheels, a sheet metal Wheelhouse surrounding the upper portion of each ot the rear road wheels, each Wheelhouse being generally shaped in cross section as an inverted U and spaced from thcadjaceut road Wheel a distance suticient to provide clearance for rising movement of the Wheel relative to the vehicle plus clearance for tire chains, one Wheelhouse having an elongated opening in its upper portion, a ilexible rubber boot covering the opening in said Wheelhouse and overlapping the adjacent marginal edges of said Wheelhouse, :and fastening means securing the edges of said boot to said Wheelhouse, said boot being deformable to provide additional space in said storage compartment and to provide clearance for the rising movement of said road Wheel and said tire chains.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Transportation (AREA)
  • Body Structure For Vehicles (AREA)
US510959A 1955-05-25 1955-05-25 Motor vehicle wheelhouse construction Expired - Lifetime US2807496A (en)

Priority Applications (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US510959A US2807496A (en) 1955-05-25 1955-05-25 Motor vehicle wheelhouse construction
FR1149896D FR1149896A (fr) 1955-05-25 1956-05-24 Carrosserie de véhicule automobile

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US510959A US2807496A (en) 1955-05-25 1955-05-25 Motor vehicle wheelhouse construction

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US2807496A true US2807496A (en) 1957-09-24

Family

ID=24032895

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US510959A Expired - Lifetime US2807496A (en) 1955-05-25 1955-05-25 Motor vehicle wheelhouse construction

Country Status (2)

Country Link
US (1) US2807496A (fr)
FR (1) FR1149896A (fr)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0067407A1 (fr) * 1981-06-04 1982-12-22 Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. Carrosserie de véhicule comprenant des volumes clos pour loger des appareils auxiliaires
EP0356640A2 (fr) * 1988-08-30 1990-03-07 Dr.Ing.h.c. F. Porsche Aktiengesellschaft Capote escamotable, notamment pour véhicules automobiles

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2017227A (en) * 1934-12-31 1935-10-15 Homer W Barnhart Wheel guard structure
US2234781A (en) * 1937-06-19 1941-03-11 Gen Motors Corp Metal automobile body
US2606625A (en) * 1947-09-16 1952-08-12 Clyde R Paton Motor vehicle bonnet-fender

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2017227A (en) * 1934-12-31 1935-10-15 Homer W Barnhart Wheel guard structure
US2234781A (en) * 1937-06-19 1941-03-11 Gen Motors Corp Metal automobile body
US2606625A (en) * 1947-09-16 1952-08-12 Clyde R Paton Motor vehicle bonnet-fender

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0067407A1 (fr) * 1981-06-04 1982-12-22 Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. Carrosserie de véhicule comprenant des volumes clos pour loger des appareils auxiliaires
EP0356640A2 (fr) * 1988-08-30 1990-03-07 Dr.Ing.h.c. F. Porsche Aktiengesellschaft Capote escamotable, notamment pour véhicules automobiles
EP0356640A3 (fr) * 1988-08-30 1991-07-17 Dr.Ing.h.c. F. Porsche Aktiengesellschaft Capote escamotable, notamment pour véhicules automobiles

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
FR1149896A (fr) 1958-01-02

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